SINGAPORE GOVERNMENT PRE§..§..§.TATEMENT. TTS/INFS. SEo58/59

TEXT OF A SP~EC.H BY THE -·MINIST~R FOR HEALTH,_ THE HQN~ N,:R. A.J:-B°RAGA.z_READ OUT BY THE~SBISTANT MINISTER TO ·rt~ CEIE.F SECRETARY.1.-,.THE HON. MR. M.P.D. NAIR, AT THE FINAL PR~ZE-GIVING CEREMONY ·OF THE "OUR SIN~ORE".J1QIZ COMPErITION AT THE GREAT WORLD AT 8 P.M. ON SUNDAY, ~EPT~MBSR- 14..i. 1958,

It. ,is with regret that the )vt:1J1¥S't'6i· ~or Heal th_ i~ _unabl~ to be present here · today as he ·'had to be out Qf 0 ~1Jttgtiporc this week-end. I have been asked by him t9 rq~d (· *-,1.~:.1cmtsls~ge to you. . :'., '.~ ('( s ~- .. ·. •. ' ·' .\. ~ ' . J 1 iJ ·-· ..

You have hc~r~ the 9}JJPf'(~j'i\i~-t~T)_l 'tl~d. :o:th¢j .. _M:j:1v(&¥~~ talk to yo1;1 of c1y1c· mat~er.s,,,a~ .. pi t '.l:'~?nsp,Ip,;; .--~.o_ P?r~~i~ 1t may be of . interest .. ,~o y~ . to, know w:l'm:·c& ~?Y~tnm~_nt,, 1$ ·-~-~_p1g in lo olrin g after ':the· hC'S.-1. th of · _the p~oP..+H 1 i.Pt' ·S·tngapo'r -e;

. . . . . .:v<- ,:.'1\ , , : 11 '"· ..,. . . For five ,yca~s previous to ···thq -_Labo'u.p Front Coali t i on

Government cpr;n:i.ng. t o p 9wo.t , i.,n early.,- J.r955'~··only 240 beds 1.v·erc added . to those ms,i ,s:t3:~~t,,;\~~~a:a.,y 'Within ·a . per:i(l)d of nea rly three ,,and a ,h~j ·_vc~r~-1 wc·'·· l}~yb bc~n able ' to ~dd some ·2,000 free beds ,t .0µ'0-q~uif:t'f!>.Sp1·tal :S~CJ.1gth - ; there . .w1111 be further incroas91~.cs~~l,1 (t'it'? ·t)f't_ yea.r )th~riO wi.l .l ,·be '·'an additional L!.00 beds, anqc _1a\ ''l~t~e~,.~, 500, ·t ~~:rds th~ n: ij).1d of the year. · .. ·;·J;'\ U\1

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s,:l)'-,~-~.i\'·~, 13W1:J;,tc:·1··'ft.'.(;.iiav·0\ hec'ii augmentil'l:~-. -µie ·~ed' nec-ds ot Singapo:re · ·. · ~.-\_·:."'WP:n~~y:e -. ~_a'.ten all possible m~a_surel3 ~o.'. .l.~;I?.J; ,ovp· .. ~Y~?r a,~Rscts... . d /-''·'. lJ ·:. hay'e .,: 111·e're ased ou !' 9µ tpa t,E?·~1t facil i t~,b~ .. f'.l'orn: _+E!-_tj<;·: ·t-o-. ~-~ . :r ,:;'. ( r. r.:, ·,

()-~ !.:ou tpa.t~EYnt·. ~.J,,ini q ~-;: 'du.;;:_ing ·_~h?:,·J~o·z:i;o/!:• ... ?urc";t:r.av~ll~p,g·. ~ s;:.. :, ·: · pensa,ries, w.hicA <J10w i,numociv .4,, :. covc~0 ij wi~y 1 ~1e\tr;_wqr~ '(::·Overing all C orn_e r s,:; 9:fl:>K'~ng a'p' 0 ~ 1/ ::t d;· b rai:ngC t'~~ m'ed~9 ifk \ S~ rv1c es to the ;peopl.e as Yp1w ·ca11.· seq t).•onf\'_th.e .. pamphl€).t h'cTe. The two launch di~:pElnE>.~ries go noF :¢1:i,1,;y rt'gularly· visit th€) v ari ou.s J ·.slands, b_ut -al_s:p. ~p· th~ p;f f\:O:.-stare ·:areas of the mai1.1 tf3>larid, t o. whi ch roEJ.d ac.'1:;~l,s~,,Ji ·s.'. A.9t.1,av~ilable. Th·c·e~ ... atten_9-~. to . th?s,?, needing t~c.a.tmen.t, :c,&rnd if p~~l?~ts a~ found ·C':r-cquf~~~g ho'spital treatment, they a~ brougq~'-'d~o ,. ~:h.~.·i~0sp1tal. . ., . · .

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, .. ·1,lJ;l "t.n.c prdvcn•tive· and,'\.,pc~s.011,a.,l : :h~wi.th asp·e.cts 'substantial progr~SS . bas be~m made: ··: '.,. ffs,1.{:~~o\w;y··'~J.aria . llaS·'l:).qc,:n :C\Pa_~icppcd fr om. S ;ng~p or~. Many of th~-·. d~1ijei~d'q-lil. intes ~i,~1a,l · d:i,

1Sease s\ gr,e .-: ~~ ·a.

dccl11nng·. rapidly. In tiw ·:©,.:- ty0 t,h~rc _i ~ a popula t~on : of \·ap.pr0:Xi-' matcly 900,000 persons. Thc ·C·i't¥,c.C'Ounc1l ha~. bccn ··ablc. to · provide seven Mat.c rni ty and ,:Chi1d ·Heal th . Centres. ,: In the rural areas for a popula-tion of some ·600·,ooo· Gov~frntncnt has provided ... 54 such · cen t _,no&. ·' .' · · 1 • ·

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AIJ1bnf .. thc ~drc'.-, i\!'fiportant camp~igns t e make \nc ·.pe 9·).le of Singa:por'c ·hc;~iJ..t~y ,·· we ~v~ also· _g o~~-: i~to . the · '~i.fo ~tio11 of

. ; tackling the maJ,o{.0SJ)c-iEi\:A9.Pu!~,~f, namely· tubcrcuJ,.o.s·~-s-, which affects .s ? r mru1~ lJ·d:9;ple ·of_ Si'.l'l,gapore - some-, pe·rh.aps d o· n_,ot know that thc'y"_tl,Q.,YO ·..:• 'fi.nc .d.is·oa·se.r.r1 1Yb'tf know ·that· mu·ch ) effort v1as P reviouslf.'-'Il').ade··.'"1fo ·coµill):ri:~. ,t h~·$,f d·j,~.f2:a~e by exte'ii'.si ve pr ovision at Tan Toc~ .. Seng Hosp.ital : .ru'l,d . Tuy '\r,o-J,u11tary organisatL _.n·s ·· such as s. A,, T. A'~ . Des pi ~-c thc;s1fr9i:t1rirt\,'· th€) re arc still .nani.···suj f cring from the di seasc . .. Wf .. <lihere fore sou.gh t Colomb o Plan ass is tancc a11d9 under the guidance. o,f_,_ t _f.tfttir " ~.xperts, WC .arc now carr'ying out a purpose~l ~~S.f?.-,fiin~1,ni progl;'arrrnc whi.ch.; if cxte1)-dq

1d,r:to··

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cover the entire island, must eventual1y rcsul t :in thc'~ cra.<il.iC'a.!.. ·'· _ tion of the ·disease. · · ''· ,:,>;··~:· ·'

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Free X-ray ..

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Free X-ray examination is being carried out in f our centres in Singap ore. Today they arc being carried out a t the North Canal Road Glinic and at the Govcrnmen t Heal th Branch in Maxwell Road - remember the X-rays arc voluntary, confidential, free and there is n o undros sing.

A card will be sent t o you if you arc free f rem dis ease . Should you be f ound t o ha ve any lung affecti on you will be invited t o further deta iled examination - and, if neces s ary, given free h ospital treatment.

I would invite your further c o-operati on, as you arc alrea dy giving it very willingly, t o support this - S J thc, t you and your children may live happily and free fr om this dreadful disea se.

I have n ot the time t o deta il all the help Govcrnmen t is giving you ~1.d your children - free inoculation against diphtheria . and imrrru.nization fr om various disea ses.

Your Government will continue t o expand the medical services in order that all of us and our children can live in health ru1d happiness in the years t o come.

SEPTEMBER 14, 1958. (Time issued at 1600 hours) ======

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